John Chilton (1) (1932–2016)

This is an excellent biography. Chilton's book covers Eldridge's career in truly amazing detail, often tracing week-to-week changes in venue and performing partners. The author, a trumpeter himself, discusses his subject's technical and improvisational achievements in ways that manage to address technique without drowning the reader in detail. There's much discussion, too, of Little Jazz's lifelong relationships with many musicians; the book portrays him as competitive, enthusiastic, driven, show more rather touchy, and generally likable. All the detail makes for a fairly long book, but it's well-written and quite readable.

Less detailed, but regularly touched upon are two subjects that are not directly jazz related but are clearly relevant--racial politics, and his long and apparently stable marriage. I'm rather curious about the marriage; Eldridge was often away from home for long periods and seems to have regularly had casual affairs. These are not really my business, of course, but the book tells enough to catch my interest. Vi Eldridge must have been a remarkable woman, but here she's not fully drawn.

Those reservations notwithstanding, this is an outstanding book. show less

Sidney Joseph Bechet (May 14, 1897 – May 14, 1959) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. He was one of the first important soloists in jazz, and first recorded several months before trumpeter Louis Armstrong.His erratic temperament hampered his career, and not until the late 1940s did he earn wide acclaim. He was a giant in early New Orleans jazz and a pioneer of improvisation whose contribution to the music, from the traditional to the avant-garde, has been a vital show more and lasting one. This biography reveals with insight and precision the man and his music, and illuminates the many events obscured by Bechet's own highly readable but factually suspect autobiography, Treat It Gentle. show less

SOME WATER DAMAGE , BUT READABLE